Salford Red Devils coach hits out at Joe Shorrocks ban as lack of ‘game sense’ addressed

Salford Red Devils assistant Krisnan Inu has voiced his discontent over Joe Shorrocks’ ban, insisting there is a lack of ‘game sense’ in the suspension process now because of the letter of the law.

As per the new disciplinary process adopted by the RFL ahead of 2025, suspensions now work on the basis of a player’s record over the last 12 months.

Shorrocks already had 10 penalty points on his record having been hit with a Grade D dangerous contact charge earlier in the year.

And after Salford’s defeat to Hull FC on Sunday afternoon, he was handed another single penalty point on his record for a late hit on kicker Aidan Sezer, deemed worthy of a Grade A charge.

Though that charge is minimal, it took his points tally for the year up to 11, earning him a one-match ban and leaving him just another charge away from a further two-match ban when he returns, regardless of what that charge is for.

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Salford Red Devils coach hits out at Joe Shorrocks ban as lack of ‘game sense’ addressed

Shorrocks will miss Salford‘s trip to St Helens this weekend, and for a squad already thin on the ground, that stings more than most.

Red Devils assistant Inu took the club’s pre-match press conference on Wednesday afternoon and addressed the matter, saying: “I think technicalities sort of take away a bit of game sense and just a bit of genuine knowledge of the game.

“This is my view, if I feel like I can pull out but I still tackle him, then sweet, that’s a late shot, all day.

“But once you’re already in the motion of the tackle and there’s not even half a second to make a decision, it’s impossible. That’s how I see it.

“I think late and dangerous are two different things, so I think we’ve got to determine every tackle specifically to the action, not put everything under one bubble.

“Obviously that was deemed late, which, like I said, I don’t agree with.”

Inu made more than 140 appearances in the British game during his own playing career, including 52 for Salford between 2019 and 2021. Having hung up his boots in 2022, he re-joined the Red Devils as one of Paul Rowley’s assistants ahead of 2023.

The 38-year-old continued: “The game changes every year. We get given certain rules that they’ll crack down on certain things and then the year after, it’ll be something else.

“I think we just need to be consistent everywhere along the board and just follow the rulebook. We get taught the rules, so we’ve got to read it.

“I think everyone’s got to be accountable at some point. I know if I’m wrong, I’ll be the first one to put my hand up and say sorry to the fourth official.

“But I’ll definitely be the first to voice my opinion when it comes to our team and things that I don’t agree with.”

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